March 19 - Spring has sprung

New youth mental health ward, Hermann's building purchased, art gallery closes.

Good morning !

Happy first day of spring! Today, day and night will be equal in length. We had our first glimpse of warmer weather this weekend, but spring showers are in our forecast for the rest of the week.

Still, many people love the temperate weather of springtime in Victoria—is it your favourite season?

Robyn

What is your favourite season?

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Today’s approx. read time: 4 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: ☀️ 17 / 5  

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 12 / 7

Day after: ☁️ 11 / 7

NEWS

Young adult mental-health unit opens at Royal Jubilee

Minister of Children and Family Development Grace Lore. Photo: Island Health

In a first for the province, young people needing mental-health treatment have a unit offering care designed with their age and requirements in mind 

A 16-bed ward for young adults between the ages of 17 and 26 which officially opened yesterday at the Jube.

“I think it's a step in the right direction and a service that we've needed for a long time,” said Harveen Dhaliwal, manager of the Young Adult Mental Health Unit.

Previously, young people were grouped with people of all ages, which often was a glove that did not fit, Claire Jaenen, the unit’s clinical coordinator tells Capital Daily.

“I think some of the biggest differences is that the young adult cohort, they just present differently, and therefore they need different approaches to care for them,” she says. 

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Saanich man missing for a week. [Saanich Police]

Dallas Road closed at Cook for water main upgrades, reopening Friday. 

Expect traffic delays and lane closures on Blanshard, between Bay and Hillside, today until March 28.

Recall: K-fresh enoki mushroom recalled due to listeria contamination.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

Hermann’s Building purchased after years on market

Photo: Google Maps

After announcing the closure of its upstairs lounge last week, Hermann’s has a new landlord—the City of Victoria. 

Using funds from the city’s Land Sale Reserve—money brought in from selling city land and held to purchase new land—the nearly $4M purchase of the Hermann’s building on View was confirmed yesterday. 

The building houses the legendary Hermann’s Jazz Club, which has occupied the space since 1986, and View Street Social next door. Hermann’s is considered the longest-continuously-running jazz club in Canada. 

Mayor Marianne Alto said in a statement that the purchase reflects the council’s commitment to invest in music venues downtown, as outlined in their 2023-2026 Strategic Plan.

This venue’s importance was also identified during development of the Victoria Music Strategy,” said Alto. “I hope it will continue to contribute to Victoria’s vibrant arts and culture scene for years to come.”

Arts on View will continue to operate the jazz club and View Street Social but still plans to close Hermann’s Upstairs at the end of the month. Event organizers say, with its closure, they’re running out of affordable mid-sized venues in the city to host shows, particularly those geared toward dance music.

The building was put up for sale by the owners, the Estate of Hermann Nieweler, in 2019. Arts on View initially offered to buy the building in 2017 but instead fundraised to take over operations in 2019, with a guaranteed lease re-up with any new building owners.

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Rowhomes at Royal Bay now selling

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🐟 Herring spawn in North Nanaimo this weekend. [Photos]

🌊 Dive into the future of aquaculture innovation with COAST's latest webinar! Discover groundbreaking advancements shaping the industry. Watch it and all COAST's webinars here.*

🤝 Now hiring: Certified Dental Assistant at Peninsula Dental.

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🗞️ In Other News

Oak Bay names deputy chief Julie Chanin as new police chief
Chanin becomes top cop effective June 1, taking over from Mark Fisher who earlier this month announced he would be stepping down, a year and a half after taking the position. Chanin, the first female deputy chief in Greater Victoria—has 24+ years of policing experience, including 13 years with Oak Bay Police. [Oak Bay]

Coastal Renaissance back in service, 2 other ferries need repairs
Six months after it was pulled for repairs to upgrade the excessively noisy motor speed control, an issue that was first noticed in 2007. The vessel returned on March 4, but the other Coastal vessels need the same repair, with Coastal Celebration currently undergoing the fix in Esquimalt and Coastal Inspiration set to be pulled in April or May. [CHEK]

Victoria art gallery closes after 30 years
West End Art Gallery will close on April 27 after occupying Broad and View since 1994. Owner Matthew Hudon says the pandemic negatively impacted how art galleries operate in Victoria and across Canada, leading to his decision to close. Hudon will continue to operate the Edmonton location which his parents opened in the 1970s. [Victoria News]

Multiple spring temperature records broken across Island this weekend
Victoria set a March 16 record hitting 18.8C at Gonzales station, though official records focus on Victoria International Airport which hit a non-record-breaking 15.6C. The Malahat area set records on Sat at 17.8C and Sunday at 18.2C. The temp hit nearly 21C in Port Alberni Sunday, breaking its previous record by 2C. [Times Colonist]

TASTING VICTORIA AWARDS

Vote for the best in Victoria!

What’s the best Mexican restaurant in the city? How about the best Chinese restaurant, or the best Indian restaurant? If you’ve got a favourite, make sure you cast your votes for the 2024 Tasting Victoria Best Restaurant Awards!

🗓️ Things to do

🖼️ 🍺 Street Art and Craft Brewery Tour: See the city’s best street art and check out some local beers on this tour, today at 2pm.

🗑️ Explore Hartland Landfill: See what goes on at the landfill that holds the CRD’s trash, today at 10:30am. 

💐 Nowruz at the Leg: Celebrate the start of spring and Persian new year at the Legislature lawn, today at 1pm.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Subscribe to This Week In Vic to get the full list of what’s on this week.

👀 In Case You Missed It

Monday headlines: Off-leash dog debate; Unique brunches; Behind the blossoms; And more. [March 18]

Four Vic restos with cheap eats. [Tasting Victoria]

Dog that mortally wounded another dog at Willows beach put down. [Times Colonist]

Saanich teen sets 13 powerlifting records. [CHEK]

That’s it!

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